Boston may be known for its incredible food and world-renowned educational institutes, but it has also become a vibrant fashion hub. One of many ways the fashion industry has started to flourish in this city was the 2017 Boston Fashion Week, which took place this year from October 1st to 7th.
Boston Fashion Week was founded as a civic initiative in 1995. The goal of this event has always been to create opportunities to showcase local fashion. BFW has been a forum for distinguished designers and upcoming talent to present their work, as well as to network with other members of the global fashion community.
This year’s BFW was dedicated to local talent. Jay Calderin, the founder and executive director of Boston Fashion Week, set a goal for himself to find new designers on Boston’s fashion radar to feature their work this October. An influx of many talented designers, that he narrowed down to eighteen, led him to name the association ‘17+’. The eighteen brilliant designers all had their own fashion shows this year, where they featured a diverse array of work, from Luna Joachim’s elegant dresses inspired by the 50’s and 60’s to Sydney Single’s transformational garments that range from simple to dramatic.
This BFW included exhibits, social events, documentary screenings, fashion shows and pop up stores. Participants had opportunities to watch documentaries such as ‘House of Z’ about the rise of fashion designer Zac Posen, watch the Models Against Cancer fashion show, attend the chic Red Party social event party and more.
Student journalists were invited to a pre-fashion week conference with Calderin and members of the 17+. The designers shared their thoughts and advice on designing for all body types, focusing on the product and not the fame, and being knowledgeable on the industry before immersing oneself in it. This was a great opportunity for journalists and aspiring designers to hear from those in the fashion industry. One designer which stood out to students was Ruby McAloon. She’s incredibly accomplished and talented, and only fifteen years of age!
McAloon is a multi-talented singer and designer. Some of her achievements include being a Project Runway Junior designer, enrolling in the Teen Fashion Design Program at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), singing to over 2000 people together with Pat Monahan of Train & Rachel Platten, and working with Seventeen Magazine to develop fashion related online content for many social media platforms. What adds to people’s amazement is that she achieved all of this at the age of fifteen.
McAloon was given her first sewing machine when she was seven, and has come a long way from there. Last year, she became the youngest designer to show a collection at Boston Fashion Week, at the age of fourteen. McAloon’s recent designs have been focused on denim work, like the pair of self-designed, fashionable, full-length, denim overalls she wore to the event. She described her style as “bohemian,” which is prevalent in her Fall/Winter 17 collection. McAloon’s success at a young age should inspire students at CA to be ambitious and determined to achieve their aspirations. Don’t wait for the right moment to go for your dream, now is the time, McAloon showed us that age is no restriction.
The city of Boston is expanding itself to fashion through growing Boston Fashion Week and opening doors for a unique range of designers with different styles. The aspects of the city from the people to the food have come together to inspire designers to create garments, and shape a Bostonian fashion trend which will continue to grow through the years.